Please join us at the launch event of the Oxford Urbanists! The format will be presentations followed by Q&A and a reception.

As we are a brand new organization, we would love to hear from any students interested in being a part of this team moving forward. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Speakers will include:

-Dr. Idalina Baptista

-Andrew Comer, Cities Director, Buro Happold Engineering.

-Members of the Cities That Work Group from the Blavatnik School of Government.

Dr. Idalina Baptista is an Associate Professor of Urban Anthropology in the Department of Continuing Education, Director of the DPhil and MSc programs in Sustainable Urban Development, and a Fellow of Kellogg College, an Associate Fellow of the Oxford Programme for the Future of Cities, an Associate Fellow of the Institute for Science, Innovation and Society, and a member of the Consultative Committee of the African Studies Centre. She is also a Visiting Professor at the School of Architecture and Physical Planning, University Eduardo Mondlane, Mozambique. She has taught on diverse themes relating to urban planning and environmental management at the University of California, Berkeley, the New University of Lisbon, Universidade Aberta, and Universidade Atlântica, in Portugal. She held a visiting position at the Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon and collaborated with colleagues at the New University of Lisbon on projects involving public participation in urban and environmental planning and policymaking. Her teaching and research are informed by past experience as an environmental planning consultant and as a member of an environmental NGO.

Andrew Comer has 40 years of experience in civil engineering consultancy work, embracing a wide range of disciplines and projects in many parts of the world. This breadth and depth of involvement has, over the past decade, found its outlet in leading a growing number of major masterplan and urban development projects for BuroHappold. Work in this field integrating a wide range of disciplines and skills to deliver efficient, sustainable and attractive urban quarters has been delivered in the Middle East, India, China and Russia as well as Europe. In doing so, he has worked alongside some of the world's leading architects and designers. From 2003, Andrew led the BuroHappold team providing the strategic engineering inputs of the London 2012 Olympic Park and Legacy Masterplan and Design together with the EDAW Consortium and working directly for the London Development Agency and Olympic Delivery Authority. This award-winning scheme contributes the catalyst for change for the East End of London, delivering not just a venue for the world's greenest Olympic Games but a future-proofed, 246-hectare regeneration development platform from one of Europe's most deprived and polluted sites.